Along with spring showers and flowers come celebrations at the Preserve.  We had two parties for our Wolves.  The younger Wolves, Niko Akni, Woha, Chito and Nita because of their level of socialization party hardier than the adult Wolves, Wa-ta-chee and Ohoyo.  Waya having a playful nature seems to enjoy joining in the fun with the younger Wolves in most activities.  The younger Wolves had a pizza party complete with balloons and vanilla ice cream.  All seven Wolves received their own Pizza.  They seemed to really enjoy playing with the cardboard as much if not more than eating the pizzas.  They have fun popping the balloons and ice cream is a favorite treat.  Poor Wa-ta-chee was frazzled.  He hates the balloons and early in the day they had their annual health check by Doc Harland.  Ohoyo remembered when he took her menfolk out for their vasectomies and distress howled the entire time he was here.  It was also a windy day and Wolves are out of sorts when it’s windy, it messes with their sense of smell.  So unfortunately, Wa-ta-chee and Ohoyo were a bit reserved at that party.  So, for the older Wolves we toned it down a bit on their big day and celebrated with ice cream cups, which they love to carry around and hot dogs.  I’ve put together a video of both celebrations and pieced them together for you.  You will notice that at the Adults party, Wa-ta-chee is in the midst of a spring shed.  He looks quite mangy but he’s 100% healthy and this is something that all the Wolves will go through and look like in the next few weeks.  The plus side of a shed or blowing of their undercoat is that all of them loved to be groomed by me.  They like the attention and I’m sure it feels good to get that fur off.  They appear to be at least 10lbs lighter and it gives them an all-together different look when they are done.  They lose their ruffs, which makes their heads look somewhat like a lioness instead of what we think of as Wolves.  They also look extremely leggy.  I’m sure by next month you will see their new sleek looks in photos.  This is a yearly event and winter coats start showing up again sometime in September and are pretty much full by the end of October.

At this time, I would like to invite you to enjoy a video that a member of our forum, BlueWolf aka Jos Ratsma of the Netherlands, made in honor of our Wolves, called New Life.  Even if you already saw it, it’s worth watching again.  Judging from the comments on YouTube, you may need a box of Kleenex, too.  I know I did the first few times I watched it.  Thanks again Jos, for making this video, it is part of WHAP’s history.  Jos is a student who enjoys making videos, listening to music, programming, walking his neighbor’s 2 Huskies and just being an all around cool young adult!

The Wolves are all healthy and happy.  I’m happy to report that they are using their new den a lot.  You can find them in there on a warm afternoon or during a cold hard rain.  I’m thrilled that they have a place to get out of the weather and all be together.

It’s time that I quit calling our younger Wolves, pups.  They are 2 years old now so I will need to include them in Our Meet the Wolves page.  I’ve updated the Wolf Pups page and left their pup pictures there plus added a whole bunch more, but have moved their grown up photos and introductions to the Wolves page.  It’s hard to believe it’s been 2 years already.

I would like to thank everyone who remembered their birthday with symbolic adoptions, cards and gifts.  AaaaOwwwww........